Eichenwalde

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The forest has slowly begun overtaking the abandoned village of Eichenwalde, but the scars will never completely fade. During the Omnic Crisis, Eichenwalde was the site of a key battle. General Balderich von Adler took a handful of crusaders to the village in an effort to outflank the omnic army. Balderich's soldiers were able to break down the enemy forces, giving the German military an opportunity to push back, but the Crusaders didn't make it out of the battle. General Balderich finally collapsed in the castle's great hall.

The payload on this map is a battering ram. The attacking team must escort it to Eichenwalde Castle to reclaim Balderich’s remains.

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Eichenwalde Castle is a fortress beside a village on the outskirts of Stuttgart, Germany. It is the hometown of Balderich von Adler, leader of the Crusaders. During the Omnic Crisis, the castle was attacked by omnic infantry and defended by the German military and the Crusaders. Though most Crusaders died in the battle, save for Reinhardt Wilhelm, the German military was able to keep the omnics away from Stuttgart.

Today the village and castle are abandoned, and the armor of Balderich von Adler was left on the castle's throne. The village and nearby plains are littered with the remains of Bastion units, and only one had survived after 30 years. It had almost tried to attack Stuttgart, but was pacified by a bird it had befriended.

In the first spawn of the attacking team, there is a memorial for Dennis "INTERNETHULK" Hawelka, a former professional Overwatch player and a prominent member of its esports scene, who passed away unexpectedly on November 8, 2017.

On the hunting lodge's fireplace mantel, there is a diagram depicting a variety of local bird species. The largest of these birds is the same species as Ganymede, the feathered companion of Bastion.

On the cafe menu, a meal named Kosakenzipfel is listed. This is a nod to the fictional dessert with the same name, the subject of a classic comedy sketch from the German "King of Comedy," Loriot. Kosakenzipfel is roughly translated to "Cossack's tip/point/tail" (a euphemism for male genitalia).

The music shop's name, Die Zaubertröte, is a reference to the German opera Die Zauberflöte, which is composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The bonfire in Eichenwalde

Near the second spawn of the defending team in the castle, there is a bonfire with a sword stuck into it. This is a direct reference to the video game Dark Souls in which players can save the game and replenish their health at one of these bonfires. It is located upstairs next to a Large Health Pack.

Following the release of Honor and Glory, at the end of the map, the Overwatch medallion was added to the right arm of the throne where Balderich's remains rest, as a nod to the event in the short.

July 27, 2017Patch:Fixed a bug on Eichenwalde that prevented Soldier: 76 from placing his Biotic Field in certain locations of Point A.

June 20, 2017Patch:Fixed a bug that allowed Sombra to reach unintended locations on Eichenwalde.

February 28, 2017Patch:A second gate no longer closes after the payload passes through the castle doors; instead, rubble from the damaged doorway partially blocks the entrance. Adjusted the collision in the attacker spawn room on Eichenwalde to prevent players from getting stuck in the pipes.

January 24, 2017Patch:Fixed a bug that caused Sombra to get stuck under the bridge in Eichenwalde. Fixed a bug that allowed Widowmaker to perch on an unintended location in Eichenwalde.

October 19, 2016Patch:Fixed a bug on Eichenwalde that caused some textures to stretch across the map for some players.

October 11, 2016Patch:Fixed a bug preventing sprays from being applied correctly to some surfaces on Eichenwalde. Fixed a lighting issue, causing certain objects to appear darker than intended inside the Eichenwalde castle.